Simultaneous Broadband Vector Magnetometry Using Solid-State Spins

Real-time sensing of dynamic vector magnetic fields is used in areas ranging from magnetic navigation to biocurrent imaging. Many vector magnetometers measure only a single field component at a time, and may suffer from orientation errors. Employing a frequency-multiplexing technique with an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, the authors present a device that measures $a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}l\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}l$ components of a dynamic magnetic field at once, operating at high bandwidth and top-notch sensitivity. With low implementation overhead, this technique has applications in fields such as neuroscience, condensed matter physics, and geoscience, as well as in industry.